Safest Sunscreen for Kids and Adults

July 1, 2011

Best and Safest Sunscreen

The FDA is coming out with new guidelines on sunscreen but the big news is that many ingredients used in sunscreens are associated with adverse health effects in animal studies including increased risk of skin cancers. Ironic, no? I searched around and found a list of sunscreens from reputable sources including Consumer Reports, Dagmar’s Momsense, and the Environmental Working Group’s 2011 Sunscreen study which is widely quoted. All images are linked to Amazon if you want to check out prices (prices so tend to vary on Amazon which is why I don’t list them).

Summer is finally here and we’ll all be needing sunscreen and lots of it and the FDA Guidelines will stress how no sunscreen is water proof and needs to be applied frequently.

Consumer Reports

Almost every sunscreen tested by Consumer Reports Health contains some ingredients associated with adverse health effects in animal studies. Oxybenzone and other endocrine disruptors may interfere with hormones in the body, and nanoscale zinc oxide and titanium oxide are linked to problems such as potential reproductive and developmental effects. Retinyl palmitate (listed among inactive ingredients), a type of topical vitamin A, is an antioxidant that animal studies have linked to increased risk of skin cancers. In skin, it converts readily to retinoids, which have been associated with a risk of birth defects in people using acne medications that contain them. As a precaution, pregnant women may want to avoid sunscreens with retinyl palmitate. Some examples of top performing sunscreens that do not contain retinyl palmitate include Up & Up Sport SPF 30 and Equate Baby SPF 50.

Up & Up Sport SPF 30 (Target)- Spray

No-Ad with Aloe and Vitamin E SPF 45 – Lotion

Equate Baby SPF 50 – Lotion

My Derm, Krauss Dermatology, has a great post on sunscreen. She recommends: